Fluid coupling



Jan. 30, 1923.

J. P`. HENRY. FLUID couPLlNG. FILED MAY 5, 1920.

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wil-wrw/r/vEs SES Patented Jan. @0, 1923.

= UNITED sra-'r Es FLUID coUPLING. i

Application 'sied Mays', 1920; serial No. 379,023.

T o all wimmz't may colli/cern." f f Be it known that I, JOHN P. HENRY, a

citizen 'of' the United States. residing at .7

Copperhill, in the county of Polk and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Fluid Couplings, of which the following isk a specication.l

' This invention relates to couplings for air o1' steam lines of railroadvcars.

The object of the invention is to 'provide aniautomatic coupler of this character constructed and connected so that the draw heads of the cars to be coupled will be so adjusted by the coupling of the air or steam lines that said heads will couple simultaneously with or directly afterthe coupling-of the air lines. 'l .f

Another object is to so construct such a coupling` that it will effectively connect the air -lines no matter how the car may be turned and when so coupled will insurethe coupling of the draw heads.` y

With thetoregoing and other objects' in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combi.- nation and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the in` vention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without-departing from the spirit 'of the invention.

n. the accompanying drawings a top plan view is shown having parts broken out and in section, the coupling being shown in operative position and the draw heads used in connectiontherewith represented indotted lines. ,V7 .j l

In the embodiment illustrated, thecouplers constituting this invention'are shown in the position assumed when two cars are equipped therewith and coupled thereby, the two main air pipe lines to be connected being shown at A and A', respectively.

The coupler constituting the invention comprises four cylinders, 1, 2, 3 and 4, arranged in pairs, parallel with each other, the two cylinders l and 2 being carried by one car and those 8 and 4 by the opposed car to be connected. All ofvthese cylinders are eX- actly alike, except that one of each pair carries guide means for the connecting pipe of the co-operating cylinder of the other pair as will be presently more fully described.

Each cylinder is closed at its front end by an integral head 5 having a Central Opening and-a laterally extending annularlange 6, and at its lrear end has asimilar angedhead to"'whichis bolted an auxiliary" head 8. 7

y Auxiliary heads 9 'are' mounted von the front endsfogt the 'cylinders and bolted to the flanges 6 'of the heads 5 thereof. lOutside the heads 9 are mounted solid rubber gaskets s orfpackings 10 which have.inwardlyl pro-ject.- ing Vtubularextensions 11 positioned within the cylinders and' ony the outer facesof these packin'gs are arranged-packing glanids12` bolted to the cylinder heads. o 'lfhev extensions 1,1"will provide theresiliency necessary to permit `relativemovementV of the cylinders when the train is in motion. Inner vpacking glands 13are arranged in eachcylinder and VVAaremade cup-shaped'y to t' 'the 'inner ends of the tubular `extensions of vtheV pack-ir'ig'sy with lateral lflanges carrying hooksY-lfwith whichl are engaged eye'vbolts 15 whichQeX#v tend through .the outer :packing glandslZ, t'he'packing 10 andthe cylinderheads -This connection of the hooks 1e with' the eye bolts 15 securely hold the Aglands "13 ,inposition 80 andassist in retaining theouter 'glands'andv o kthe packings in .opera'tiveposition`- j Connectors in the` formof pipes'l are per"- manently attached toy an'dcarried by the cylinder-sil and LJ'and are designed to` be de'' tachably engagedwith theco-operating' cyl'- inders 2'y and 3, the cylinderl 3 being arranged opposite cylinder 1 ,v and cylinder 4 y oppo- 'site cylinder Q'when the parts arefin' cojupling positionl as is shown` clearly in y' the .90

drawings. These pipeslG ektend'through .the extensions of the packingsin cylinders 1 and ,4e and areth'rea-ded, at their inner ends to receive nuts 17 `which hold them in connected' rela-tion relative to: their respect-ivefcylinders, the washer" 18 beingfloosely mounted on each pipe between nuts 17 and the inner packing gland 13.

Stops 19 are carried by the pipes 1o outside the cylindersl 1 and 4 andare designed to prevent the pipes from slipping rearwardly into the cylinders, said stops being positioned on the pipes so as to vpermita o certain longitudinal play of the pipes 16 1n.y the heads of the cylinders which carry them.`

Carried bythe packing glands 12 of cylinders 2 and 3, andpreferably made integral therewith are coneshaped guides 20, their smaller ends being arranged inwardly with their flared mouths extended outwardly and which aredesigned to receive the free ends of the pipes 16 and to direct them into couo i los i pling position. By so constructing lthese guides 20.,.it will be obvious that the pipes i6 may enter when the cars to be coupled are ,out of alinement andbeing' tapered toward their inner.` ends Will direct said pipes into operative position and torce the couplers to more so that the cylinders 2 and d and i and Will aline longitudinally-as shown in the drawings.

Short hose connections 21 are connected at one end With 'nipples 22 which extend through the rear heads of all the cylinders and thefother `ends of these hose are connected with short pipes 2? united by couplings 24- Which also connect with the main air lines 'and Cut-cti Valves are located in the pipes 23 and a similar valve in the air pipes A and A( adjacent the T- couplings These valves and 26 have actuating arms 27 here shown L-shaped to properly position them for connection With actuating rods 28 which extend in planes at right angles to the axes oi" the cylinders with their tree ends positioned beyond the sides of the car for convenient operation by the brakeman Without necessitating his going betweenthecars. i It is of course to be understood that vwhen these rods are moved in one direction they Will open the Valves which they control and admit air to the cylinders which on entering the cylinders from the nipples 22 vwill pass out through the pipes 16 into the cylindersot the other car and back ,to the air-line of said car thereby bringing the two air lines L .and A intocommunication. The actuation of the rods in the other direction will close-said valves and cut off air from the cylinders when the cars are to be uncoupled.

Carried by the inner sidewall of each cylinder is a bracket 29, here .shown T- shaped and bolted to the cylinder with the -shanlr portion thereof extended-laterally.

Each bracket, shank has an upstanding lug 30 which is securedto the draw head 3l of the car on which the coupler is mounted, the two cylinders l and 2 being Xed t-o they draw head of the car on which they are mounted While the cylinders 3 and. 4 are fixed to the maaeas dranY head et the car to be coupled. These dra-W heads 3l are equipped with the usual couplers 32 which may be ot any desired construction and are shown in the drawings arranged in vjunta-position ready for engagement when the cars are moved toward each other, the pipes 16 being in partially coupled position, so that when the cars more toward each other they will move into cylinders 2 and 3 until the stops 19 abut the glands l2 of the opposed cylinders, and when in this position the dran' head couplers Will have become engaged and the cars coupled together.

l" rom the foregoing connection With the accompanying drawings, the advantages ot the construction and et the method et' operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and nhile I have described the principle ot operation of the invention together vith the device which l now consider 'to be the best embodiment thereof, l desire tohave itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustratiif'e and that such changes may be made as are Ttitl in the scope otl `the claimed invention.

Having thus i'ully described `my invention, What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A Huid coupling including a pair of alined coacting fluid pressure containing` cylinders, a gasketl detachably carried by each cylinder and equipped With a tubular resilient extension projecting into thecylinder, a guide member supported on one et' the gaskets and extending toward the other, and a tube arranged through the gasket and tubularextension of one of the cylinders and projecting appreciably beyond the latter tor slidable engagement through the guide member, gasket and tubular extension ci: 'the second of said-cylinders, substanitally as described.

ln testimony whereof aliix my signature in presence oftwo Witnesses.

Witnesses:

N. E. C. VELLENOWTH, .'JAs. L. PANTER.,

description, taken in 

